Born January 29, 1931, Fred Overton grew up in Westhampton and graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 1949. Following graduation, he worked as a carpenter’s helper until he was drafted into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1952.
“I was happy working as a carpenter,” he said, “but being drafted was the way it was at that time. It was very common.”
With his draft notice, Overton was sent to basic training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Immediately following training, he was shipped off to South Korea. It was a 16-day journey of being seasick, he grimly recalled.
He arrived in Chuncheon, where he worked with the 538th Engineer Field Maintenance Company. He spent his days and nights repairing and servicing heavy equipment and pulling guard duty. After six months, he was sent to Pocheon, where he continued similar work. Then, on Dec. 26, 1953, he received orders that he was to return home. In January, he arrived at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey.
“The experience was a good experience,” Overton said of his time in the Army. “I got to see a lot of things I would not have otherwise seen — I saw how good we have it here in America.”
Back home, Overton returned to his carpentry job before becoming the manager of the La Coquille apartment complex on Dune Road, a position he held for 31 years until his retirement.
Overton has been a member of the Westhampton Beach Fire Department since 1955 and served as chief and then as chairman of the commissioners for 15 years, stepping down in 2017. He was also a president of the former Westhampton Veterans Athletic Association. He is also a member of the American Legion Post 834 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5350.
Overton has two sons, Ray and Rick, with his late wife, Joyce, and three grandchildren. He has been with his girlfriend, Marilyn Aldrich, for the past eight years.
In gratitude of his service and sacrifice, the Westhampton Free Library paid tribute to Overton at a ceremony on June 22 as part of its Hometown Heroes initiative.
The Library’s Hometown Heroes initiative aims to honor local veterans from the Arthur Ellis Hamm American Legion Post 834 on a monthly basis, with a culminating ceremony scheduled for January 2020. “It is so important to honor our local veterans,” said Westhampton Free Library Director Danielle Waskiewicz. “They made many sacrifices and deserve to be thanked.”
During the ceremony, held at the Westhampton Beach Fire Department and attended by fellow Legionnaires, library representatives, family members and public officials, Overton was presented with proclamations and an American flag.
Photos courtesy of the Westhampton Free Library